TerraFirma

Hello,
I'm thinking about making the switch from planes to helis. Never flown one before, so what would make an excellent first heli? Also, are those training stands worth anything?

tonyd1

try a raptor 30 for a first heli. JR venture is new with no track record yet so dont know. For training gear use roto-pod on grass. flying heli is like flying a plane but ya need to learn how to hover. l0ook for local help in first time set up

warlock1174

My Feedback: (23)

I hate to disagree with people, but I see this answer far too often from folks who think they are just absolute professionals. What a lot of people don't realize is that a lot of us have to "self-teach" ourselves. I would advise you, as I have done others numerous times, to invest in a Lite Machines Helicopter. These little helicopters are super simple to assemble, fool proof to set up, easy as pie to fly, and you can actually crash them numerous times, and not break anything. They utilize flexible, fixed pitch rotor blades. The ONLY disadvantage to fixed pitch blades is that you will not be able to do a lot of aerobatics (it will roll and loop) and auto rotation is impossible. But, as a beginner, you will spend more money on replacing parts on a fancier heli that you've destroyed while practicing, than you would an a brand new LMH. Check out their website at litemachines.com

flmgrip

My Feedback: (2)

warlock1174, are you a professional? if one wants to buy 5 helis, then one of them could be a litemachines. i do not think much of fixed pitch helis though. but if you want to have only one or two, then you are waisting your money on those things.
crashes do happen, of course, but to simply buy a heli based on the fact that you will crash often is not very smart. i self taught myself and i did not start crashing until i was quite confident with forward flight and hover all directions. why did i crash? because i got careless...
it is about discipline and concentration. i read about guys here, they barley have a gallon of fuel through their heli and they are trying loops and inverted flying (but can't keep a hover in a 10ftx10ft square) and then wonder why they crashed... learn to walk before you run and take a SLOW pace and you will not crash very often.
i can not recommend a craptor, yes they are cheap, but things just brake without reason. i have more trouble with this thing than my ex-wife and i am to lazy to sell it...
if in anyway you can afford it get a 50 size heli. that size can take you at very reasonable price from start to radical 3D. Sceadu, Venture, fury... most 50 size helis are pretty decent helis. you will find as many different opinions as there are brands...

warlock1174

My Feedback: (23)

Well, I would not know how to define the word "professional", but it seems that Curtis Youngblood was very impressed with my skills. And, regardless of what you think, I find it be a very good investment for someone to purchase a lite machines. There is much more room for error in an LMH than in any conventional .30 or .60 size. (yes I fly a .60 as well.) These things are ideal for the beginner.

volare

My Feedback: (1)

I don't claim to be a pro or anything close but my opinion is a 30 sized nitro burner would be the best. After only a few months you would outgrow a fixed pitch heli. And you don't have to crash a lot while learning if you are patient.

flmgrip

My Feedback: (2)

that is the interesting thing of on-line forums. anybody can be anything they want.
hey not did i only impress C.Y., J.K. and T.B. were watching me as well. and they applauded all after-wards and we had a beer together...
like volare said, you will outgrow those things really fast and how much you crash is up to you and not the heli...
you can fly loops and rolls with the picollo or hornet as well, but these type of helis are a completely different class.

hey, you can get whatever you want, i looked at the litemachines and they just do not seem to be a good investment, though i never flew one (and never will). but warlock seems to know all about them (and seems to be the only one...) he might even be a rep or dealer for them, who knows, the anonymity of these forums is great...
good luck making a good choice...

Dazzler

My Feedback: (6)

TerraFirma, 1st off I am new to Heli's, I just bought my 1st one, it is a JR Venture, I still fly airplanes and wouldnt give it up. I think the Venture is a excellent 1st timers kit, its a 30 size that is rather huge for being a 30. You get the ability to go from training to some 3D stuff. I like the time I get per tank with the 30 too. I can go out and practice hovering all evening on a few tanks. I love mine, and I think this will probably be my only one, as I would like to stick with one, and learn to fly without a huge investment.
There is a guy on this site selling his Jr Venture his name is "Lift". I think he's selling it for a pretty good price. Daz...

Hivoltage

My Feedback: (3)

I had a Litemachines and sold it Real fast. It is nothing like a piched machine. If you want an opinion from someone who has had both...this is it. Get a 30 size...Raptor or Venture. I also have both of them.
But, I am not a pro....nobody is impressed when I fly, no applause, but I do drink beer, just not with Curtiss, Todd, or the other guy.
Seriously, after you play with the LMH for a couple weeks you will just want to get a 30 size anyhow.

flmgrip

My Feedback: (2)

hivoltage, now that is funny

TerraFirma

Wow!! what a great response. I guess I should have mentioned that I know nothing about helis. I would assume that the bigger the number, the bigger the heli (60 size is bigger than a 30). but do not know about fixed pitch and such. Like planes, I'm sure I would have to start off with a trainer and move up to bigger and better ones. I never did like trainers in planes, but I got one and started there, and moved up to what I liked (Warbirds). What would I want in a heli....I love the Huey. Would love to do a scale version of a MEDVAC chopper, but I know that you must crawl before you can walk....and walk before you can run. There is a LHS that does nothing but Helis. I will go there and see what they have to say. In the meantime....if anyone has a nice huey that want to get rid of...just let me know.

Thanks for all the advise

Bill_Jehle

My Feedback: (1)

If you watch which trainer you buy, you can just add a scale fuse later. It won't likely win the Nats, but can have a nice looking machine. You can't turn a Sig Kadet into a P-51, but you can turn a pod and boom trainer into a scale looking machine without much difficulty.

RS2K

My Feedback: (8)

What I like about most of the newer helis is that you can go from trainer to 3D without any upgrades. I went from planes to helis, also but decided to go with the raptor 50. I have not regreted it for a second... well maybe just a few while it was in transit to me from heliproz. As soon as I opened up the box and saw it I knew I made the right choice!!

Another thing I like about helis is that everytime I fly my heli I get the same feeling I did when I fly my first plane for the first time!!! It's still that way after 5 gallons! I have been getting 23 minutes of flying time on my R50 with a 2 ounce header.

warlock1174

My Feedback: (23)

Fine, fine.... I see from the overwhelming majority of opinions posted here that the LMH has not gotten a great response. Unfortunately, I am not a rep or salesman, and thank God... Who could get a sale in this place? Guys, I am only suggesting the LMH for a beginner to "get the hang of" flying forward flight, basic hovering and minor acrobatics. I have had nothing but fun with mine. I knew nothing about RC planes, helis, cars, etc... 5 years ago, but then my little brother Brandon (who has been nuts over helicopters since he was two) finally saved his allowance and bought an LMH. (Because I am fairly mechanically inclined, guess who got stuck putting it together, and figuring out how and why it worked?) I can guarantee you, that if we would have started on a .30, with no experience, and no instructors, (and at that time we had no internet), we would have crashed more, spent more, and possibly just ended up quitting. But the LMH was a great introductory machine for us, and our purposes. It flew well, and when it did crash (from pilot errors) it was usually easy to fix and the parts were dirt cheap. I am not trying to endorse the LMH, I am just trying to provide an honest, unbiased opinion of what I believe is one of the most innovative model heli's out there, to someone who may be in the same type of situation we were in. When you love to fly rc, and you're on a shoestring budget, it's hard to get off the ground (pun intended). And by the way, my brother, who is now 17, flies a full scale helicopter in the passenger seat using "duelies(?)" in Cherokee, North Carolina. There is a tourist helicopter there that takes people on rides, and he has hung around them people so much that they started teaching him to fly. If I had not taken a ride, and watched this with my own eyes, I would have never believed it. And all this started with a humble, fixed pitch, LMH... 'nuff said.

Joe K

My Feedback: (1)

I had both a size 30 and a LIteMachine.
I AGREE WITH WARLOCK.
The LMH is A low stress ,Low cost Heli.
The LMH IS LIKE PLAINS IN A LOT OF WAYS. The main frame is wood. I have had mine for over 3 months and still love it.
THE UP SIDE
1. Great manual for beginners.
2. Crashes are under $20. Often there is no damage at all.
3. Fixed pitched offers easy radio set up, low cost radio and less parts.
4. Low fuel cost. It only has a.06 motor & a 2oz tank.
5. If you can hover an LMH you can hover any heli.
6. they are not as dangerus as the biger heli

Joe K

My Feedback: (1)

If its to windy for the SIZE 30 YOU GET OUT THE LITE MACHINE.

warlock1174

My Feedback: (23)

Joe, I thank you for posting your input. I was beginning to feel a little outnumbered. All of the points you mentioned seemed to be the most important in relation to the LMH, and I obviously overlooked them. Hoping you enjoy your LMH as much as I do mine. And to all of the nonbelievers, may sunshine get in your eyes!!!

RS2K

My Feedback: (8)

LOL, you and wind, joe!

Come out to Kansas if you want wind! Out of 4.5 gallons of fuel on my Raptor 50 I've put about 4 tanks in winds under 15 MPH. Many of those tanks in winds above 24 MPH and some with gusts to 35 MPH. If didhover different in the wind but it was still very predictable. That was a 7 Lb heli, what would a little litemachine do in that wind?

I've even flown my heli inbetween thunderstorms (after danger of lightning passes)... light rain, very gusty, wind changes, ect. FLEW GREAT!! That same day I bent the landing gear on my Ultra sport. :stupid: I think RC helis were designed for wind!

Weather isn't what I call a limitation. Snow, 95° with 85% humidity, light rain, 30 MPH wind.... It's all the same to me, as long as I have gloves in the winter and a hat and long sleeves in the summer I'll be there.



As for the lightmachines heli I must say that while I have never flown one and dont think I'd recommend one for a serious beginer if I did, I have seen that thing survive some spectacular crashes and get right back up again. Try slamming any other heli into the ground from 30 feet up sideways and just start it back up and go.

The reason I would not recomend a LMH is because they are fixed pitch and are VERY limited. A sim is a FAR better tool to help learn to fly than a LMH is and is also half the price. While no RC vehicle with an engine is a toy the LMH is pretty close.

All this is IMHO.

TerraFirma

Called my LHS that only does Helis. He recomended a Raptor. Said a 30 size is good, but if you have the $$$ and can go to a 60, then do it. Now the only thing setting me back is the price. Quoted me around $1200-$1300 for everything I need. What do used ones go for? I have a nice Ultimate 10-300 to trade

Anyways, thanks for all the advice, I'm sure I'll get one someday.

gquiring

My Feedback: (1)

Fixed pitch heli's won't do anyone a favor. They went out in the early eighties. What happens when the guy ends up liking heli's? Now he has to buy something decent. Waste of money. If he does not like the sport, it would also be difficult to sell.

Start with a Raptor 30. It's cheap, reliable, easy to get parts and your sure to find someone at the local field that has one.

aashu

My Feedback: (6)

I am not sure if you will do that way , there are some nice eople in here selling for cheap , you can get either of 2 (venture or raptor ) , both are great for begineers , venture with little less moving parts with ccpm (can use std ball bering servos ) but needs a radio with ccpm . where as raptor is proven heli. Both are cheapest of all and are cheap to fix . I have no comments on LMH as I do not fly one .. but once had a chance and found that the mechanism is to sloppy and due to FP , they drop and rise like crazy . PLus that engine is hard to set

flmgrip

My Feedback: (2)

Fixed pitch heli's won't do anyone a favor. They went out in the early eighties. What happens when the guy ends up liking heli's? Now he has to buy something decent. Waste of money. If he does not like the sport, it would also be difficult to sell.
yes
Start with a Raptor 30.
no
It's cheap,
yes
reliable,
no
easy to get parts
yes
and your sure to find someone at the local field that has one.
yes

gquiring

My Feedback: (1)

My first Raptor has over 30 gallons through it. Only 1 failure was the boom supports. And that certainly does not crash or prevent you from flying it. $15 upgrade to carbon supports solved that problem. The Raptor 30 is EXTREMELY reliable. Like any heli, if you don't know how to build, nothing will be reliable.

I also forgot to mention that it flies great!!!

Ohh and my 2nd Rappy also has no failures (started with carbon boom supports)

flmgrip

My Feedback: (2)

i built and flew over 15 helis in the past so i kinda assume how to build it... parts just break ON MINE without reason... the famous startup shakes, what about those?
i put 15 gal through mine and there is a lot of slop in the system... it flies ok, not great...
you recommend this heli to a beginner (who never built a heli) and the instructions SUCK...
it just depends on what you are used to...

don't get me wrong, the craptor is a ok heli and has a huge following... yes the heli is cheap, the parts are cheap etc... but if a tail pitchslider brakes for no reason (that happened to me....) then you better know how to auto...

i just think for a few bucks more you get a better heli, more reliable and with less slop...

THIS IS MY OPINION, i flew (and still fly) the craptor myself, but i also flew and fly a lot of other helis, so i believe i can somewhat compare them, AGAIN THIS IS MY OPINION.

there is a lot of choices out there and most of us have more than one heli anywhere and live and learn as the go along...

good luck

aashu

My Feedback: (6)

i built and flew over 15 helis in the past so i kinda assume how to build it...

Does that make you a perfect heli builder . You may have repeated same mistake 15 times lol ! just kiddin.
I am sure you would say Hawk iV are better or somthing like that .. I fly same place where Gary flies (I am a novice though.. just above Hover stage) but So far never had a single problem , except the fact that once I assembled it wrong and had vibrations .. and have never seen anyone out there flying a rappy which has problems (user errors are different) except Engine tuning , which is Irrelevent . This is a field whcih has atleast 40 raptors
Flies great , and can be repaired or bug fixed .. (most of it) at field ..